Season 4's Anthony Fedorov released a song on the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. We hopped on the phone with the New York resident to find out about his song, his EP Never Over, and he shared some of his Idol thoughts and memories.
Anthony talked about what inspired him to write and perform “What Freedom Costs.” “I really felt inspired by the fact that people are sticking together 10 years after 9/11. That’s basically the biggest inspiration behind the song—appreciating the service that’s provided by all of their services. I actually have pretty big plans for this song. I want to shoot a big music video for it at some point next year involving Army personnel and firefighters and police. I’m hoping it will become an anthem of unity and patriotism for our country.”
The fourth place finalist from Season 4 has performed for the troops. He said, “I did one of those USO tours. I performed for our troops in Europe, so we went to England, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. But I’ve never gone to Afghanistan or Iraq, which is actually something I really, really want to do. I just haven’t had the opportunity. I really feel like they need some support and some distraction out there. Some of the most appreciative people I’ve ever met in my life have been the troops and their families. They’re so grateful for you to come out and spend time with them. It’s a hard life for them to live. I was really taken by their reactions. There’s just a lot of appreciation behind this song.”
Over the summer, Anthony released his first album, Never Over. “If you’re auditioning for Season 11 in East Rutherford next week, Anthony offers up this advice: “Stick to what you know. Don’t go outside of what makes you best. If you’re a rock singer, don’t try and sing an R&B song. Be who you are, be an artist, and don’t try to make something up.” Was Anthony nervous for his American Idol audition? He recounted, “I was really excited. I wasn’t nervous. I’ve never gotten nervous for an audition before. It was kind of a surreal experience. You’re stuck in this huge stadium with 15,000 people and you really don’t know what to think. I was more excited and anxious than nervous. I just wanted to get it over with.”
After next week’s Idols Live performance in the Philippines, the Season 10 Top 11 will have culminated from their Idol experience. Having been there in 2005, Anthony advises, “They’re going to go out in the real world, and those contestants who are not going to be kept by the label need to take advantage of their platform. Use the social networking sites and get your artistry in place. I hope everybody gets picked up and makes great records and has long, successful careers. I just know, based on my experience, I got off the show thinking that I already made it. That’s the kind of feeling you get when you get off the show, but the reality of the situation is once the next season rolls around you’re yesterday’s news, so what are you going to do with that platform? What are you willing to do to make that next step? It’s up to you to utilize your contacts and take the Idol platform and run with it.”